So Much Better
by arsenik-addiction
Summary: Emmett decides to take it upon himself to help a certain blonde fashionista become a top-of-her-class success story, inexplicably drawn to her. Emmett's POV, follows canon plot for the most part.
1. Chapter 1 - Study Buddy

This is my second attempt at writing a fanfiction, and the first one that I'm really proud of and invested in. This is just a oneshot at this point, but I really feel like I could do a lot more with this, so it may get expanded and played with a bit more. It's a work in progress. Your feed back is greatly appreciated, so it'd mean a lot if you were to review/comment. Thank you!

I, of course, do not own and am not affiliated with Legally Blonde or Legally Blonde the musical. -Arsenik.

* * *

Emmett scuffed his worn sneakers on the sidewalk as he strolled through the darkened campus, a few scattered leaves crossing his path. The night was oddly chill for so early in the fall; it was hardly the end of September. He looked up at the cloudy sky and the halo of light that was the moon. He sighed and rubbed his eyes with the knuckles of one hand, adjusting his messenger bag with the other. His mind was wandering; it had been a stressful day and he just wanted to get home and crash.

Emmett rounded the corner of the library building and approached the nearest streetlamp, below which there was a park bench and a small figure perched on it. As he neared, he made out the sound of sniffling and could see the girl was shivering. The shiny blonde hair was unmistakable in the glow of the lamp above.

"Whoa, Elle?" He took in her attire: a pink (of course) skimpy corset, complete with bowtie, and a pair of bunny ears. To be honest, she looked like she was freezing. "What's up… Doc?" He chuckled at his own joke.

She turned her head towards him, dramatically staring at him with eyes wide before stating, "Love."

"Excuse me?" Emmett wasn't sure he had heard her correctly.

"I put my faith in love; I followed where it led..."

"Love led you here?" he must have been more tired than he thought, because he certainly was not hearing this conversation properly.

Elle continued, despite the interruption, "…to my personal circle of hell. It has not worked out well. I wish that I were dead, 'cause instead of a wedding and love, I'm flunking out of school. A total laughing stock. Someone he and his friends can just mock. So go on, here's my head, just hit it with a rock!" At this point, tears were openly flowing down her face and she was pretty worked up.

"Wait. Go back," Emmett crossed his arms. He was in disbelief. "You came out here to follow a man… Harvard law was just part of that plan?" He chuckled darkly. "Man, what rich, romantic planet are you from?"

"Malibu?"

Emmett felt almost angry with the silly girl in front of him. "Instead of lying outside by the pool, you stalk some guy to an ivy league school? That's the weirdest reason I have-"

"Well, why'd you come?" Elle said exasperatedly.

Emmett was still for a moment, considering Elle. "Okay." He nodded and untied his sweatshirt from around his waist. As he sat down next to her, be placed it around Elle's shoulders. "I grew up in the Roxbury slums," he told her, resting his elbows on his knees, "with my mom and a series of bums - guys who showed me all the ways a man can fail. I got through law school by busting my ass, worked two jobs in addition to class, so forgive me for not weeping at your tale." He shook his head.

"Well excuse me, just because you've got some kind of chip on your shoulder-"

"You know what? You're right," Emmett was almost angry. This rich, spoiled trust fund baby goes to Harvard to get a _date_ with a guy she likes? She wasn't even here to achieve something more with her life? "There's a chip on my shoulder, and it's big as a boulder. With the chance I've been given, I'm gonna be driven as hell. I'm so close I can taste it, so I'm not gonna waste it..." He thought about this girl, Elle, in front of him. She just didn't seem the type to go to school and not prove herself. Yes, she might be blonde and kinda ditzy, but Emmett knew she had potential. Why was she just squandering it by spending all her energy on a guy that was already taken? "Yeah, there's a chip on my shoulder, you might want to get one as well."

He stood up and started to walk away. He'd had enough of this for one night.

"I'm sorry, but that sounds highly negative," Elle said to his back.

He turned back, "Hey, I'm just being honest. When you weren't born into privilege, you gotta work twice as hard." He sighed. She had his favorite hoodie wrapped around her, and he couldn't justify taking it now that she'd finally stopped shivering, even if she had ticked him off. He softened, but said, "I want that sweatshirt back." He turned away again, and only managed to take one step before Elle called after him.

"Wait!" She stood up, looking dumbfounded. "Two jobs? _Plus_ law school?"

Emmett walked back towards her. Standing face to face, he deadpanned, "I haven't slept since 1992."

Elle shook her head, "Seriously. How do you do it?"

Emmett could help but grin at her, "Well, I don't go to parties a lot." Elle rolled her eyes and smiled as she stuck her arms through the sleeves of his hoodie. He continued, "Not good use of the time that I've got; can't spend hours doing my hair and staying in shape." They started to walk together away from the buildings that housed the classrooms, and towards the dormitories.

"I don't spend _hours_!" Elle giggled as she flipped her locks across her shoulder.

They walked together a while before he paced ahead of her a bit, looking out at the buildings as he spoke, "But I know it'll all be worthwhile when I win my first lucrative trial and buy my mom that great big house out on the cape."

"Oh, that's so sweet!"

"No! That's the chip on my shoulder." Emmett got serious, dropping back to walk next to Elle and looked at her earnestly. "I hugged my mom and told her, with the chance I've been given, I'm gonna be driven as hell. Though I can't take the day off, I just think of the payoff." They paused at the entrance to her dorm building and he faced her, taking in her pretty eyes and the goofy, floppy ears. _She really is so pretty, _he thought. _And so much potential, if she would just _try_. She could be amazing_… "You need a chip on your shoulder, Little Miss Woods-comma-Elle." She punched her access code into the keypad next to the door, and giggled as it clicked open.  
"No, I don't! I just need to prove to everyone that I'm serious!" She ran down the hall and Emmett followed her into her dorm room.

"What you need is to _get to work._" Emmett looked into the pink monstrosity he just walked into. Really, he didn't know why he was surprised, this was Elle, after all. Pink glitter, pink faux fur, pink _everything…_

"Make yourself at home," Elle told him, as she not-so-subtly tried to kick a bra under her bed. She scurried to the adjoining bathroom as Emmett glanced about the room. "Heeelllooooo, kitty," he muttered to himself. He started inspecting her shelves and the adornments on the walls, chuckling to himself and shaking his head in disbelief. "Ooooohhh."

Peeking into her kitchen, he saw an entire shelf devoted to cans and cans of energy drinks. "You drink a lot of Red Bull, don't you?"

"IT GIVES ME ENERGY!" Elle shouted from the other side of the door.

_Yes, like I'm sure you need any more of that. _Emmett laughed, "For when you're up late studying?"

"What?" her voice was muffled. _Honestly, what is she _doing _in there?_

"Studying!" He caught sight of her desk. Or rather, what _should _have been a desk - instead, it was covered in beauty supplies. _Why does anyone need four different kinds of hairbrushes?_ "You do _study_… don't you?" _Uh-oh._ "Where are those law books?" Emmett took off his bag and placed it next to the wall.

"Oh, uhhhh…. They're under the… Ohhh…." She sounded like she was straining herself thinking.

"Under the…?" _Oh, boy. I can see where this is going._ He circled the desk, finding lots of things, but none of which were school-related.

"The pile of…."

"The pile of…?" _There's a million 'piles of' here, Elle, which one are your books under?_

Elle flew out the door, and grabbed a fluffy boa off the desk. "There!"

Emmett picked up the open copy of _Cosmopolitan_ that she had uncovered.

"They're here somewhere." She shrugged sheepishly, hands resting on her hips.

Emmett looked from Elle, to the desk, to down at the magazine. _Alright. Challenge accepted. Project time. I can help her._

"You know…." He laid the magazine down. "This vanity's real picturesque, but it started its life as a desk." Emmett handed the wastebasket to Elle and started grabbing things at random. Clear it off, and find some room for books instead."

"What are you doing?!"

"Can you live without this?" _Hair cream._

"Can you live without that?" _Shopping magazines._

"I don't know what this is…" _White? Plastic? What?_

"It's for hair!" Elle was definitely upset. _Good. Step one. _

"Wear a hat. Spend some time improving what's inside your head."

"Out, out, put it in storage, sell it on eBay, leave it behind." _All of this crap has gotta go, how's anybody supposed to work here?_ "Out, out!" More stuff went in the trash bin. Emmett caught the look on his companion's face as she dug through the things he threw at her. "What, are you angry? Good! So get angry!"

Maybe he was yelling at her, but tough love, right? "You may find the chip on your shoulder-"

"Argh!" she slammed the basket down on the desk.

Emmett smirked. "Ooohh, the room just got colder…"

"Hey!" Elle glared at him, but the corners of her mouth were quirking up. _Good sign._

She started to rush about the room, picking things up, searching. "But with the chance you've been given, _why are you not_ driven as hell?!" He crossed his arms, following and watching her. "There's no way around it, you've gotta plow through till you've-"

"Found it!" She held the plastic-wrapped, pristine book aloft in her hand, as if it was a trophy.

_Well, step two…_

She strode over to him, handing it over proudly. He tore of the wrapper and handed it back to her. "Been reading it hard, I can tell." He threw the wrapper in with the rest of the garbage.

"Alright. Sit. We're going to start now."

"Start what now?" she pulled out the desk chair and sat down warily. Emmett didn't know how he had gotten himself into this situation, but once he started something, he finished it. He was going to make Elle into a star student, and to make her _work her ass off_ for it.

"You want to prove to everyone you're serious? Okay. You need to work for it, so you're starting now. This second."

"But-" she started to stand up again, but Emmett placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her down again.

"No buts." Emmett grabbed a notebook and sat down on the bed. He started scribbling furiously as he spoke, "You're six chapters behind already, but we've got the weekend to catch you up. You've got an essay due in a week too, and I'm going to assume you haven't started it yet, either, right?" He glanced up at her, as she smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Right." He looked back down and resumed writing. "So I'm writing you a study plan for this weekend. I've got to work at the library tomorrow morning, and then help Callahan grade some stuff early in the afternoon, but I'll be over in the evening."

"Tomorrow evening?" Elle was biting her lip when he looked up at her. Emmett laid the pen down and leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

"Plans? Cancel them. _This _is what matters." He stood up abruptly and crossed the room to her. He opened the book to the first chapter and placed it in front of her on the desk. Emmett stabbed his finger down at the first paragraph. "This, right here. This matters." Emmett pointed his finger at her forehead. "_This, _in here, that's what _matters._ It doesn't come easy. You've gotta put the work in."

"Am I supposed to read all six chapters tonight?!" She looked horrified.

"No, not all tonight. But by Monday morning, yes, all of them will be read. Don't worry about that now, I'm writing your study plan. Now, read the first chapter, aloud if you have to." She glared at him as he returned to his seat on the bed. He returned the stare right back. "I'm not leaving until the first chapter is read."

She huffed. "Fine."  
Emmett chuckled as he started a new page in the notebook and Elle sighed. Her voice filled the room as she confidently read from the text. _She's a really good reader. She'd make an amazing speaker, too. That'll help her in court._

It didn't take Emmett long to finish up writing up the study plan, and he laid back on her bed, arms crossed behind his head, as he listened to her reading. Elle had pretty much forgotten he was here, so he enjoyed the moment of peace as he slowly took in her room. The room seemed to be a mess at first glance, but he could see that she had her own sense of the order in the chaos.  
Elle finished chapter one, and moved on to the next without hesitation. Emmett supposed he should head home, since he had his own work to get done, and had to be up early the next day, but he was afraid Elle wouldn't get anything accomplished once he left. He would just have to make sure that he got all his studying and grading done on Sunday while he was here with Elle.

Emmett's thoughts began to drift away, and soon enough, he dozed off. He awoke around one in the morning, startled and unaware of his surroundings for a moment. The lights were all still on, Elle's mussed blonde hair covering her face, her head laid on desk, using a combination of her arm and the book as a pillow. At some point, she had retrieved his hoodie from the bathroom, and was wearing it again. _I hope it hasn't gotten any colder outside._ He stood up and stretched, glancing around the room for his bag. Before he left, he snuck a throw pillow under Elle's head, switching it out for the text book. Emmett marked her place, startled and pleased to see she was already halfway through chapter three. _This is going to work out much better than I thought. _

He switched off her desk lamp, covered her with a blanket, and slowly shut the door behind him.

Grinning, Emmett strode out of the building and took the four blocks to his studio apartment off campus. He found his way through his drab space without turning on a light, and collapsed on the unmade bed without even bothering to take his shoes off. He was passed out within seconds; a smile on his face and a satisfying feeling of a great accomplishment on his shoulders.


	2. Chapter 2: Thanksgiving

**Author's Note**: Okay guys: It's been a long time coming, but here's my second chapter. I've been working on this story a bit out of order, but hopefully soon I'll have enough to start posting the story as one cohesive plot line. I'm really sorry it took so long to get this second chapter out, but I hope the wait was worth it.

I don't own the original storyline or the characters of Legally Blonde the Musical. Review if you please. (It'll please me.)

* * *

It was the last Friday before Thanksgiving, and Emmett found himself, as he so often did these days, seated at Elle's pale pink desk, papers and textbooks scattered around him. Since Callahan was going out of town for the holiday, he had all but given Emmett the next week off from his teacher's aide duties. All he would have to do over break was grade a few papers and answer a few emails. Emmett admitted to himself that maybe his happiness at this free time wasn't entirely free of Elle-based reasons.

He shook his head, dismissing that train of thought. He stared back at his computer screen, trying to take the notes back into focus, but he kept thinking about how he had to pee. Elle had finally introduced him to her Red Bull stash, and now that was all he could drink, which also resulted in more frequent bathroom breaks. The upside was that he now found sleep less necessary.

He glanced over at her now, with her head stuck out the door and Bruiser cradled in one arm. She was waving and grinning like an absolute goof.

"Bye, Warner! Happy Thanksgiving! Say hi to your mom and dad for me! And Grandma Bootsey!" Emmett opened another can of Red Bull and chugged half of it in one gulp.

"What is this? My second? My third? I don't know but I am loviiinnnnggg it." Emmett chugged down another gulp. Trying to bring her back into study-land (and away from the Warner distraction at the door) he said, "Define _malum prohibitum._"

"_Malum prohibitum_. _Malum prohibitum_ is… um…" She closed her eyes and thought hard.

"…an act prohibited-" Emmett started to give Elle the answer, but she cut him off.

"An act prohibited by law! Like jay-walking or chewing gum in Singapore!" Elle skipped towards the desk and stole the energy drink from her study companion.

"Therefore, _malum in se_ means…" Emmett responded.

"_Malum in se_ is... an action that is evil in itself. Assault, murder, white shoes after labor day." Elle ticked the offenses off on her hand as she paced around the room.

"Ahaha. Good." Elle strode over to the bed, where Emmett took note of the various bags laid out. He hadn't seen them until Bruiser jumped into a pink designer purse.

"Where ya going?" _Way too many bags for a day trip… And of course the dog has his own travel bag._

"Home, of course." Elle giggled, as if the was an obvious answer.

"Huh?" _After all that I've talked to her about dedication, and she's about to go on _vacation_?_

"It's Thanksgiving break, remember?" Elle grabbed her jacket from a hook on the wall. Emmett felt himself getting frustrated. _Hasn't she learned _anything_ from the time I've spent with her?_

"Interesting…" Emmett slowly closed his laptop, his lips pressed tight. He straightened a few items on the desk and crossed his arms.

"What?" Elle seemed to notice that Emmett was upset, but wasn't catching the reason.

"Well, I predict you will probably pass…" _God, Elle. This should be so _obvious.

"Yes!" Elle jumped and cheered.

"…in the bottom percent of your class." Emmett smacked his hand on the desk, shaking his head.

"What?!" _Ha. Got your attention now, haven't I?_

"If you're going for mediocre, you've done great." He gave her a thumbs up and a sardonic shake of his head.

"That's not fair!" Elle protested, and yet she still started to gather up her bags. Emmett stood up from the desk and strode towards Elle. _Nuh-uh, Miss Woods-Comma-Elle. You've still got too much work to do._

"Look, they laughed at me like they're laughing at you. We can't win if we don't follow through. Might I venture that your vacation plans can wait?" He put one hand on her shoulder and handed her the text book. _It's just Thanksgiving, Elle. You have to know you need to stay… You're not there yet. _

"Why do you always have to be right?" She leaned into his shoulder and put her bags down.

Emmett grinned at her. "'Cause I do. _One _of us has to be."

"Hey! Now, don't get cocky!" Elle pulled a spare chair over next to the desk and propped her feet up on a stack of research books. She grabbed a notebook and patted the seat next to her. "Alright. So what's after _malum in se_?"

Emmett grabbed the Red Bull can off of Elle's windowsill, where she had left it by the bed, and sat back down at the desk, cracking his laptop open. "Well, let's see…"

Later that evening, as Emmett was finishing up his container of take-out shrimp lo mein and reading an article on a recent court case, the idea hit him. Emmett turned in the chair, facing Elle, who was sprawled on the bed, typing furiously at her laptop and surrounded by several books and notepads.

"So... Elle?" Elle held up one finger as she finished the line she was writing on her essay and looked up.

"Yeah?"

"Well, since you've decided to stay on campus over break-"

"More like I'm being held against my will!" Elle smirked at him good-naturedly as she pulled her hair over one shoulder and ran her fingers through it.

Emmett chuckled. "Well, anyways, since you are being held captive over break, would you, I dunno... Would you wanna do Thanksgiving dinner together? I'll cook and everything." He felt awkward asking, he almost felt nervous. _Why would I be nervous? Just a major holiday dinner, alone, with a pretty girl. No biggie. _

"That sounds like a great way to spend Thanksgiving. Way better than spending it alone and doing nothing but school work," Elle laughed.

Emmett shrugged. "It's not so bad, y'know? After a while, it ends up being just another day."

Elle stopped playing with her hair and stared at Emmett. "Do you never go home for holidays?"

"I haven't been home for a holiday since… oh, I think freshman year. No, wait, if you count spring break my junior year. I helped my mom move during that week, but I worked for a month to get ahead on my school work just to do that."

"Wow, Emmett… That's kind of sad. I mean, I know you're dedicated, but doesn't it get lonely spending all your holidays alone?"

Emmett stretched his arms over his head, clasping his hands behind his head, and leaned back in the chair. "Nah. I'm used to it. When I was younger, it was usually just my mom and me on holidays, and sometimes she comes out to visit when she can, but it's hard to afford that every holiday. And besides, she usually works holidays. She earns more money that way."

"What does your mom do?" Elle had put her laptop aside and was now rummaging through a dresser drawer. She pulled a bubblegum pink hoodie over her head, the front emblazoned with a large Harvard logo in glittery capital letters. There were pink fuzzy pompoms on the end of the drawstrings on the hood.

"She waitresses full time during evenings and works at a coffee shop in the morning," Emmett beamed as he talked about his mom. "When she works on holidays, she earns bigger tips, so she kind of likes to work as many hours as she can get."

"Wow. Dedication runs in the family," Elle smiled as she walked over to the mini-fridge, pulled out two Red Bulls, and deposited one in front of Emmett. Elle leaned down and scratched a sleeping Bruiser behind the ears. The tiny dog had taken to sleeping on Emmett's feet whenever the chance was presented. "Speaking of dedication…"

Elle skipped over to her dresser and plucked a hot pink envelope off of the top of it. She handed it to Emmett with a flourish.

Emmett stared at it for a second, and then stared at Elle. "What's this?"

"It's our two month study-buddy-versarry, silly!" She placed her hands on her hips. "We have officially been studying together for two months as of this week. It was really on Wednesday, but I had a test that day, and you were so busy with Callahan…" Elle shrugged. "I figured today was as good a day as any."

Emmett chuckled. "You can't even live with the holidays we _do _have, you have to make up your own as well."

"If you are referring to national Wear Pink Day, that is a Delta Nu tradition, and-"

"Oh, no, no, trust me. I learned my lesson the last time we got into this argument," Emmett held his hands up in defense.

"Good! Now, shut up and open your card," Elle grinned as she leaned on the desk, watching Emmett tear open the seal. He read the card silently, and then unfolded the slip of paper inside.

Elle giggled as Emmett's jaw dropped open. "Elle, what- What the hell is this?!"

"Well, since you've basically been tutoring me the last couple of months, I talked to my daddy, and he agreed that we should be paying you. Consider it a third job."

"Elle, I can't accept this. This is way too much."

"I _knew _you were going to say that. Look, Emmett. It's from my dad's checking account. It's not like it's _me_ paying you. Trust me, he has the money to spare." Emmett opened his mouth to protest, but Elle held up a hand. "Don't tell me that coming over here every other day and helping me out is not affecting the rest of your life." Emmett sighed. Elle placed her hand over his, where it rested on the desk. "Please, Emmett. It'll make me feel better about accepting your help."

Emmett stared at the pink painted surface of the desk for a long moment. He sighed several times as he tapped his fingers on his notebook. _Okay, yeah, I could use the money… And I _have _reduced my hours at the library in order to spend more time here… That didn't really bother me though. But I am _not _a charity case… But the money _would _help… Oh, what the hell. _

"Alright. But!" Emmett stopped Elle from saying anything, as her mouth had just opened in reply. "Half of this. Okay? This will be for both October and November, and from now on, I'll accept half of this amount each month to tutor you." Emmett sighed one more time. "But Elle, you know I'm not helping you for the money."

"I know that. But I also know you work really, _really _hard, and I know that being Callahan's teacher's aide doesn't pay a whole lot." Elle smiled. "But if it does make you too uncomfortable, you don't have to take it."

"Hey now! I already agreed!" Emmett held the check to his chest protectively.

"See?! You dork." Elle shoved Emmett in the shoulder, and the chair rolled back a few inches. Elle jumped up from the desk. "Now, my dear tutor, would you like to quiz me on the case from the last chapter?"

"Well, since I'm on the clock now…" Emmett rolled back to the desk and pulled up the document on his laptop. "Let's get started."

Emmett hurried around his apartment, making sure there wasn't any more dirty laundry or used dishes lying around. He had been double-checking every inch of his home for the last hour, making sure it looked as close to perfect as he could make it. Somehow, he kept finding things to straighten or rearrange, even though he'd dusted, vacuumed, and scrubbed every visible centimeter of his apartment in the last two days. _Honestly, it's just dinner. I shouldn't be this nervous. _

He flopped down onto his worn couch and sighed. The tv was turned up a little too loud, blaring the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Emmett stared blindly at the screen, but just as he started to relax he finally noticed the insistent beeping coming from the kitchen. Scrambling and tripping over his own feet, Emmett dashed to the oven and banged the door open.

"Shitshitshitshit," he pulled the pan out, burning his hands through the threadbare oven mitts. He let the turkey clatter to the counter, knocking the pot of instant mashed potatoes aside, and kicked the oven door closed. "Shitshitshit_shit_-"

"Um… Emmett? Everything okay?" The soft voice came from behind him, taking him completely unawares. He hadn't even heard the door open.

"Shit!" Startled, Emmett jumped and the oven mitts when flying out of his hand and landed in the sink full of soapy water. "Elle! God, you scared me."

The blonde girl giggled. "Sorry about that," she glanced pointedly at the covered pan on the stove. "You need help with that?"

"Umm," Emmett scratched at his ear. "No. Er… Maybe." He sighed. "Probably. I think I overcooked it. I… got distracted, and kinda forgot about it."

"Well, let's check it out, shall we?" Elle dumped her bags in the doorway, strode over to the counter, and deposited the two dishes of food she was carrying. She grabbed a dishtowel to remove the lid to the turkey pan, dodged the eruption of steam, and prodded the bird with a serving fork. "Oh, Emmett. It's perfectly fine!" Elle chuckled as she went to work. "Yeah, it'll probably be a little dry, but that's nothing a little gravy and cranberry sauce can't fix." She cut the turkey into thick slices. "Do you have a serving platter?"

"Ummm…" Emmett opened a couple cupboard doors and stared at their sparse occupants. "How 'bout a regular plate?"

"Mmm, that'll do." Elle continued slicing away. "Do you mind getting in the pink bag by the door? There's a few other things in there we'll want to heat up."

"Elle, _all _your bags are pink."

"Right." Elle glanced over her shoulder. "The bigger one, on the left."

Emmett brought the metallic bag over to the counter and emptied its contents. Inside there was a large covered bowl and another glass baking dish, along with two bottles of wine.

"Holy side dishes, Elle. Were we expecting company?"

Elle shrugged. "I was listening to the recordings of Callahan's lectures last night, and I kept dozing off. So, to keep myself awake, I made a few things."

That took Emmett aback. "_You _made this? You cook?"

Elle feigned offense. "Of course I cook! And you better like it, or else."

"So what all did you make?" Smirking, Emmett lifted the lid on one of the dishes and peered in.

"Oh, that one is sweet potato casserole. The one on the bottom over there is a pumpkin pie, and the one on top is baked corn. The bowl is a Caesar salad, and there's also a can of cranberry sauce in the front pocket," Elle had finished stacking the turkey on the plate and was now rummaging through the cupboards. "Where are your wine glasses at?"

"I, uh. I don't have any wine glasses. I think I might have some regular glasses somewhere to your left…" Emmett shrugged. "Usually I just use the same few coffee mugs over and over."

Elle grinned. "Wine from coffee cups. That's classy."

Emmett grinned back. He grabbed two from the drying rack and handed them to her. "Alright, I'm guessing your food needs heated up?"

"Yup. And now to put you to work." Elle had him bustling about the kitchen, getting dinner warmed up and set out on the tiny table shoved into the corner of the kitchen.

An hour later, they found themselves sprawled on the couch, channel surfing through Emmett's tiny, archaic television. Elle was still sipping her red wine from a coffee mug, but after dinner, Emmett had opted for one of the beers he had had stocked in his fridge.

"Do you have Netflix on this thing?" Elle asked, as she cycled through the same channel for the third time.

"Netflix?" Emmett looked at her from the corner of his eye, feeling too sleepy to turn his head. "You think I have time for that stuff?"

"Emmett! Oh, you are living a life deprived, my friend." Elle shook her head in dismay.

"You know, we should be studying." Emmett shot at his companion. "Well, rather, _you_ should be studying. Erggggh." Emmett shifted on the thin cushions, trying to allow his over-full stomach a more comfortable position.

"Just… just until the end of this show. Okay? Then we'll study." Elle sounded groggy.

Emmett mustered enough energy to turn his head towards her. She was curled under an old quilt his mother had given him when he was younger, her hair pulled into a pony tail and her eyelids drooping. "Sure," he mumbled, smirking. He tried to watch whatever show was on the tv, some home renovation thing Elle had finally settled on, giving up the hunt for anything decent, but he nodded off within minutes.

He woke up an hour later, an agonizing tingling in his right arm. He looked down to see Elle curled up next to him, somehow with his arm around her shoulders and her head resting on his chest. Her ponytail had all my come undone, her hair a disheveled mess. Elle had left a small drool spot on his shirt, and she snored softly every few breaths.

"Aaaahhhh," Emmett breathed, slowly trying to extract himself from the couch without waking Elle. She snorted in her sleep as he freed himself, and Emmett danced around, trying to regain feeling in his limb.

Once he felt back to normal, he slid a spare pillow from his bed under Elle's head and went to retrieve his laptop. He squished himself into the foot-worth of space left on the edge of the couch that Elle's body was not currently occupying, and tried to get a bit of work done while Elle was napping. That proved to be a futile effort within ten minutes – Elle stretched, almost knocking Emmett's laptop from his hands. When she had finished squirming about in her sleep, she settled with her head in Emmett's lap, Emmett holding his computer aloft in the air. He stared down at her, disbelieving. "You are so adamant to get nothing done today." Elle's nose twitched in her sleep, almost in response. Emmett sighed. "Fine, you win." He set the computer on the ground, and pulled a nearby blanket over himself. Emmett grabbed the remote control and clicked through stations, rejoicing when he found a Star Wars marathon. He settled in, resting one hand along the back of the couch, the other slowly stroking Elle's soft hair.

* * *

**Author's Note**: So here's the deal guys. School starts next week, and I'm really trying to get as much of this story written as possible before I'm back to class. I really hope you all enjoy this chapter, and I hope to have more for you soon. Thank you guys for your patience, and I promise to work on this as much as possible in the coming months, but class is my highest priority. I hope you all will understand. :)


	3. Chapter 3: Tinsel Times (Christmas Pt 1)

Emmett approached Elle's room, preparing to knock, but finding the door already propped open. He peered inside to find Elle spinning around the room giggling with another blonde woman.

He smiled as he entered and chuckled out a "Ho, ho, ho." He kept the package he had wrapped so carefully the night before behind his back, out of sight.

"Oh! Um, uh." Elle spun herself to a stop and beamed at Emmett. "Uh…" She pointed to the other blonde. "This is my friend, Paulette."

"Hi." Emmett nodded towards her, smiling.

"Hey there." Paulette grinned at him, eyes glancing between him and Elle.

"Um…" He didn't know a better way to present it, so he handed the gift over and simply said. "For you. Not as good as going home for Christmas, but…"

"You're too sweet." Elle said softly, obviously surprised, as she took the gift.

"It's a real time saver. Shampoo and conditioner, in one." Suddenly he felt self-conscious about it. _Is that a weird gift to give someone? Too personal? Maybe it's not personal enough… Oh, God. _

Elle tore the wrapping off and made a kind of excited screaming noise. _I didn't think she'd get _that _excited over it. So… I guess I did okay…?_

"Hair care?! I _love _this guy!" _Well, her friend approves. I guess it was a good gift. _Paulette's eyes flicked from Emmett to Elle. "Oh! _Well. _I'll just leave you two alone then…" She scampered closer to the door. "I'll see you later Elle." As Emmett looked from Elle to Paulette, he seemed to catch them in some kind of wordless, wild gesture argument. They both stopped as soon as Emmett glanced at them and Elle stared sheepishly as Paulette skittered out the door. Emmett scratched his ear as he stared at Elle, eyebrows raised. She chuckled nervously.

"You are so adorable to think of me," she said. She stepped forward and hugged him around the shoulders. _Oh. _

Startled, it took Emmett a second to hug back, but just as he wrapped his arms around Elle's waist, hurried steps came stomping into Elle's room. Elle hopped backwards so fast, Emmett was concerned she might fall. Emmett's hands retreated to his pockets and he looked at the ground as Warner stared agitatedly around the room. "Have you seen Vivian? I've been looking for her everywhere." Emmett glanced up at Elle, to see her looking at her former boyfriend dopily, grinning and dazed, as if she had just inhaled half a tank of helium gas.

"Uh… yeah…" She smiled wider. Warner stared back, looking more agitated by the second. "…I mean no." _Oh, God, she's doing it again. _

"Great. We're gonna miss our flight," Warner, obviously pissed off, stormed from the room just as fast as he had stormed in. Emmett glanced back at Elle again, to see her in the same exact dazed state. Her eyes seem glassy, as if she wasn't taking in her surroundings. _I can't keep quiet about this anymore. I've gotta say something to her._

"Um. Elle?" She started to slowly pace about the room, but Emmett continued talking. "I don't know if you've noticed before, but each time Warner walks through the door your I.Q. goes down to 40… maybe less." _Is that really the kind of person she thinks Warner wants her to be? Why would she _want _to be that for a guy?_

"Huh." Elle finally seemed to return to the present. She faced Emmett as her eyes took him into focus.

He sighed. "Though it's hardly my business to say," Crossing his arms, Emmett could feel his agitation rising. "Could it be, the real thing in your way is the very guy you're trying to impress?" _How can you not see how toxic that is?_

Elle was quiet for a moment as this new revelation sunk in. Her face morphed from dopey to confused to excited.

"Yes!" This seemed to be a completely new idea to Elle. She became animated as the concept took root. "I've been smiling and sweet and thoroughly beaten, blowing my chance. Let's not chase him away, let's face him and say, 'Hey punk, let's dance!'" Elle was rushing around the room in excitement, practically dancing. For some reason, Emmett felt a sinking in his stomach. _Why, though? I should be happy about this, shouldn't I? She's finally recognizing her own potential… _"This chip on my shoulder makes me smarter and bolder." Despite himself, Emmett started to smile back at her. _At least I'm wearing off on her a little bit._ That idea pleased him."No more whining or blaming, I am reclaiming my pride. Grab that book and let's do this, instead of doodling hearts all through this." Emmett couldn't help himself. Elle had such a contagious personality, and he found himself grinning right back. He grabbed a stack of text books as she gathered her things. He handed Elle her bag as she shrugged into her jacket. She held her hand out, and he found himself automatically reaching out to grab it as they did the dorky secret hand signal Elle had taught him. "Now there's a chip on my shoulder, let's see him knock it aside." She took his arm and rushed him out the door. Even with his extra height on her, he had to stride to keep up.

Chuckling, he asked, "Library?"

"Library," She declared. He looked down at Elle, her face set and determined, and couldn't help but feel a little happy. _At least I have nearly a full month without Warner to distract her. _That thought normally would have concerned him, because that shouldn't matter to him, but his giddiness drove the concern from his mind. He allowed Elle to link her arm through his as the crossed the campus together.

"What do you mean, you don't decorate for Christmas?" Elle stared at Emmett, dumbfounded. Her voice was maybe just a few decibels too loud for a library, but since it was virtually deserted, he didn't bother to quiet her down. "You believe in Christmas right? I mean, you don't do Hanukkah or something else do you? That's totally okay, too, but you decorate for a holiday, right?"

Emmett chuckled, shaking his head. "Elle, it's always just me on Christmas. I don't see a reason to decorate, that's all. And yeah, I celebrate Christmas. My mom was always into decorating and she got really into the 'Christmas spirit.' I just…" Emmett shrugged. "It's not the same without Mom. Well, usually it isn't. This year feels… different."

"Well," Elle said determinedly. "You're stuck with me over Christmas, so we're celebrating. I promise to work every day of break, but Christmas day is our day off. Got it? None of that Thanksgiving crap you pulled, making me study on a holiday."

"You needed to get that essay finished, and you know it. And you slept for three hours that day, so don't complain to me, Miss Woods-Comma-Elle."

"Oh, hush. Hand me that case file, would you?"

Emmett handed it over, then stood up and stretched. Glancing at his watch, he started. "Holy cow, we've been here for four and a half hours."

"Time flies when you're having fun," Elle didn't look up from the file she was paging through. "Did you want another coffee? I was thinking of making a run here in a sec."

"Starbucks again?" Emmett had recently discovered the over-priced world of macchiatos and lattes, and didn't care to ever give them up.

"Mhmm."

"I'll go. I need to stretch my legs anyways." Emmett took his jacket from the back of the chair as Elle rummaged in her purse.

"Do you wanna take my car? It's so cold out there, I don't want you to freeze to death." Emmett stared at the glittery pink monstrosity that was Elle's key ring as she dangled it from her hand.

"I think I'll walk. Unlike you, the Malibu Princess, I'm used to cold weather." Emmett smirked at Elle and grabbed his messenger bag. "Be back in a sec."

Emmett rejoiced in the crisp air as he strode down the sidewalk. The Starbucks was only a block from the campus, optimally located for frequent caffeination trips. The brunette barista smiled as Emmett walked in, recognizing him from his last two trips today.

"Venti skinny vanilla latte with skim, extra shot, and extra whip. And a venti gingerbread latte," Emmett rambled off, straining to remember Elle's ridiculous coffee order.

Ten minutes later, Emmett was sneaking around the bookshelves that hid where Elle was sitting. As he creeped up on her chair, he saw her slipping her wallet back into her bag and clicking off of the screen she was on. Emmett grabbed her shoulder with his one free hand, the other balancing the cup carrier. "Shopping? Tsk-tsk, you should be studying. This is why I can never leave you alone," Emmett laughed as he pulled out the chair across from her and plopped down. "So what're you shopping for?"

"Oh, you know. Just last minute Christmas gifts," Elle suddenly became very interested in the notebook next to her, smiling as she flipped pages.

A knock on his door jerked him awake. "I'm up, I'm up." Emmett took in his surroundings. The sun had gone down, so it was after 5, and Emmett was sitting on his floor, propped on the couch, Elle's rough draft of her project for one of her other classes spread on the coffee table in front of him. _This dozing off in random places has got to stop. _Another knock came from the door, Emmett scrambling up to answer it.

He was confronted by a very laden down Elle, her hands full of shopping bags, boxes, and the strap to her purse clasped between her teeth.

"Fuhnally," she grunted as she pushed past Emmett, depositing her burden in the middle of the living room. She huffed as she straightened up, hands resting on her hips. "Alrighty, mister. I just froze my ass off for you, so you're gonna come down and help me carry up this damned box."

Emmett's eyes widened. "And what exactly is all of this?"

"Your Christmas decorations. Now help me get this tree." Elle was already rushing back out the door.

"T-tree?" Emmett asked, following reluctantly. His only form of an answer was found when Emmett turned the corner and saw Elle's hot pink convertible, top down, a large white box strapped into the back seat with the end jutting out over the back of the car. Elle had already unstrapped the box and was waiting for Emmett to grab the other side. "Would it do me any good to make a protest against this?"

"Absolutely not," Elle lifted, and together they carried the box, which was more cumbersome than it was heavy, up the stairs and delivered it into Emmett's living room.

"Christmas is in a week, and I refuse to let you be a Grinch about it," Elle looked at her mountain of supplies triumphantly. Emmett just stared at it like it might come to life and bite him any second. "Oh! One sec!" Elle dashed from the room again, a blur of pink and blonde. Emmett chuckled and shook a head, an action that occurred all too often when Elle was around.

Emmett started to rummage through the bags, finding numerous packages of tinsel, garland, ornaments, lights, ribbon, candy canes, candles, even a wreath.

"Emmett! You're ruining the surprise!" Elle came back in, not even slightly winded from all the back and forth, carrying a twelve pack of beer and a box of pizza. "Dinner!" she declared proudly, clearing the papers from the coffee table and emptying her hands. "I got half pepperoni and half cheese. I wasn't sure what you like on your pizza." Elle flounced down onto the carpet next to Emmett.

Emmett wordlessly held up a package of silver, glittery bows, eyebrows raised.

"Just be happy they're not pink," Elle snatched them back. "Dinner first, or decorating?"

"Let's eat first," Looking at the mountain of Christmas cheer, Emmett added, "I think I'll need the strength." They sat and ate their pizza on the floor, using napkins for plates and fighting over the last slice of peperoni.

"Okay. Let's do this," Emmett sighed, abandoning any thoughts of resistance. Together, the duo managed to get the tree set up with minimal complications, and soon enough Elle was teaching Emmett the proper way to drape tinsel around a tree, for optimal 'spatial ambiance.'

"I figured I would get less argument from you if I went for a more masculine color theme, and avoided the pinks altogether. You seem like a very navy-and-silver kind of guy, but gold just seems so _festive _so I threw some of that in there too." Elle kept up a steady stream of conversation throughout the decorating spree, and with the aid of a few of the beers Elle had brought, Emmett soon relaxed and even found he was enjoying himself. By the end of the night, the small apartment was properly adorned and looking much more festive. The pair admired their work from the couch, sipping on their beers and trading stories of past Christmases.

Elle was bent over in laughter after Emmett told her of the year he and his childhood pet, a Golden Retriever named Skywalker, had torn down the tree in a botched attempt at capturing Santa Claus. "Oh, that's adorable. Your mom is a saint for putting up with you through all of that."

"She really is," Emmett stared down at his hands, grasping his empty beer bottle, a half-smile on his face as he thought of his mother. "I know all of this will be worth it, eventually, but I really miss her sometimes."

Elle sighed. "Yeah. Missing your family kind of sucks." Elle leaned her head against Emmett's shoulder, and after a long moment, Emmett wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"So," Elle waved her hand, gesturing to the room. "Do you like it? Be honest."

Emmett took the room in, with its brightly lit and shining tree, standing tall to the right of the television stand, the lights surrounding every window, the garland festooning the doorways. "Yeah. I love it." He gave her shoulder a soft squeeze. "Probably the best Christmas I've had in a long time."

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Elle jumped up suddenly, catching herself from stumbling on the arm of the couch. "Whoo," she giggled. "Maybe a bit tipsy." She rummaged in her bag for a moment, then triumphantly pulled out a stack of fabric objects. She walked over to the television stand, and gestured for Emmett to join her.

"Stockings?" he asked as Elle opened up a package of fasteners. "_Bedazzled_ stockings?"

"I decorated them myself," Elle proclaimed with pride. "The navy one is yours, the magenta is Bruiser's, the light pink is mine, and I wasn't sure what color she liked, so I made your mom a traditional red one." Emmett passed the stockings back to Elle as she pinned them along the front of the stand. "I figured you could have a stocking for you mom, even if she's just here in spirit this year."

"That's… really sweet of you, Elle."

Elle straightened, brushing her hands off on her pants. "It's nothing, Emmett." Elle shrugged, smiling. "I know how much she means to you."

"Well, it means a lot that you thought of her." Emmett instinctively pulled his friend in for a hug.

Elle giggled. "Well, if we're getting all sentimental, I guess I should give you your gift now." Once again, Elle rummaged in her bag. _Honestly, how does she keep all that stuff in there?_ "This one is from Bruiser," Elle handed over a small cube-shaped package, wrapped neatly with a bow on top. "And this one is from me." Elle pulled a much larger, rectangular box, wrapped in silver paper with pink polka dots, out of a plastic shopping bag that Emmett had assumed contained extra decorations that they hadn't used.

"Elle, you didn't have to," Emmett stared at the packages guiltily. _And I just got her shampoo…_

"I know I didn't _have _to. I wanted to," Elle pulled Emmett back to the sofa, placing the gifts in Emmett's lap. "You know, you were the first person, outside of Delta Nu, that got me a gift because I might _like _it, rather than because of its brand or its price tag." Elle smiled at him.

"I- I just…" Emmett shrugged. "It seemed like it suited you, is all."

"Well. The same goes for this," Elle tapped the gifts. "Now open them!"

"Okay, okay." Emmett tore the wrapping off of the small box, finding a sparkly pink picture frame inside the box. It was adorned with rhinestoned dog bones, and the photo it contained was of Elle holding a very happy looking Bruiser, tongue lolling out of one side of his mouth. Elle was smiling widely at the camera, a few strands of hair caught by the wind. "This is adorable."

"Okay, now open mine!" Elle was hopping up and down in her seat.

"Alright, hang on a sec," Emmett was grinning as he revealed the sleek black leather briefcase. "Wow."

"It's for your first big trial! You need to look the part, after all."

"I think this might be the nicest thing I own," Emmett ran his hands lovingly over the top of his gift.

"I'm glad you like it." Elle beamed at him. "Rock-paper-scissors for the last slice of pizza?"

"You're on."


End file.
